Thread: Border Patrol Agent Fatally Shoots Suspected Immigrant

Border Patrol Agent Fatally Shoots Suspected Immigrant

POSTED: 5:28 am PDT May 31, 2007
UPDATED: 6:45 am PDT May 31, 2007

HIDDEN MEADOWS, Calif. -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a suspected illegal immigrant smuggler in an unincorporated North County region, authorities said Thursday.

The shooting occurred about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday near Mountain Meadow Road and Champagne Boulevard, when Border Patrol agents pulled over a suspected illegal immigrant behind the wheel of a vehicle occupied by 12 other alleged undocumented aliens, according to Border Patrol and San Diego County Sheriff's Department officials.

When an agent approached the vehicle to ask for identification documents, "the driver got a bit upset and went for the agent's gun," prompting the agent to open fire, killing the suspect, said Border Patrol information officer Wendy Lee.

No Border Patrol agents were injured during the incident, authorities said.

The shooting is being investigated by sheriff's homicide detectives, said sheriff's Lt. Sylvester Washington.

No further information on the shooting was immediately released.

http://www.10news.com/news/13417823/det ... d&psp=news

This is scary. Let's hope we don't have a repeat of the Ramos and Compean situation.

Johnny Satan, I mean Sutton, is probably already on it.

How long will it take before that idiot Sutton files charges and railroads this poor guy??

Comments are being left after the article at the source link.
~~~~~~~

Thursday, May 31, 2007
Last modified Thursday, May 31, 2007 12:50 PM PDT

Border Patrol agent shoots possible smuggler near Escondido

By: North County Times

ESCONDIDO ---- A Border Patrol agent shot a man during an altercation in a field early today in the Hidden Meadows area north of Escondido, authorities said.

Sheriff's homicide detective Sgt. Roy Frank said the Latino man in his 30s ran from an agent who was checking the person's immigration status about 12:30 a.m. in a paved Park and Ride lot at Mountain Meadow Road and Champagne Boulevard.

The contact was made shortly after 12 alleged illegal immigrants had been taken into custody from a van at the same lot, Frank said. The sergeant said he didn't know yet whether the man was armed or exactly why he drove into the lot.

"My understanding is that it is not uncommon for a second (smuggling) vehicle to follow the first one, and pick the aliens up," said Frank.

The sheriff's department is investigating the fatal shooting. Frank said the Border Patrol was helping to process the rural scene and with interviews.

The sergeant said he didn't know yet whether the man who was shot was armed.

To the consternation of sometimes angry morning commuters, traffic was being detoured around a block of Mountain Meadow Road closed for the investigation. Frank said the street might be open by noon.

The man's body was still in the field at 9 a.m. as investigators walked the scene in the dry brown grass, dotted with trees.

As far as the investigation, Frank said, the preliminary information was that just before midnight Border Patrol agents were working an operation in the El Cajon area of east San Diego County.

"They saw a vehicle that they thought was smuggling aliens (illegal immigrants)," Frank said.

He said the federal agents followed the blue 1991 Ford Aerostar from the El Cajon area to the Park and Ride lot just east of Interstate 15. On the west side of the freeway Mountain Meadow Road becomes Deer Springs Road.

"We don't believe that they (van occupants) were aware that they were being followed," Frank said. "There was no pursuit." Frank said.

The agents, in several unmarked vehicles, were in civilian clothes and wearing black law enforcement vests, Frank said. He said they wore badges as well as their duty belts and guns.

When the van stopped, said the sergeant, the agents got out of their cars and contacted the people inside, arresting them as suspected illegal immigrants and taking them to a federal facility.

One agent, whose vest had big letters identifying him as police and a federal officer, remained at the scene to wait for a tow truck for the van, Frank said.

He said a dark blue Mitsubishi Expo drove into the lot, parking near the van.

"To the best of our knowledge, there was one person in the vehicle," Frank said.

The remaining agent contacted the driver, detained him and starting checking his immigration status, he said.

The sergeant said there was an altercation and the driver ran away across the intersection toward the field, which is at the southeast corner of the intersection.

The agent called for officers to cover him at 12:36 a.m., authorities said.

"The agent chased him, and once they got to the field there was a second altercation," said Frank. "During that time the agent fired at least one round, striking the suspect."

By that time, he said, sheriff's deputies and firefighter paramedics were on their way to the scene. The man was pronounced dead in the field.

http://www.northcountytimes.com/article ... _31_07.txt

Oh great. Now the Mexican gov't will demand this BP agent spend the rest of his life in prison.

And boosh and sutton will bow low and say "Yes, master"!

June 5, 2007

Man shot in struggle with agent was undocumented

ESCONDIDO: A Riverside County man shot dead by a Border Patrol agent last week has been identified as Benito A. Gonzáez, 40, of Sun City, the county Medical Examiner's Office said yesterday.

Gonzáez, an illegal immigrant and smuggling suspect, was shot Thursday during a struggle over the agent's gun in a field north of Escondido, the Sheriff's Department said.

The agent had been trying to arrest Gonzáez on an immigration violation. – K.D.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nort ... bsafe.html

We will have to watch this case closely to see if the border agent is charged

No doubt the Border Patrol agent will be charged. If all the illegal guy was doing was running away, and he was unarmed, there's no way the BP will be able to justify killing him.

Here we go again....

Man killed by Border Patrol near Escondido was legal resident

By: YVETTE URREA and SARAH WILKINS - Staff Writers

ESCONDIDO -- Authorities identified a man Tuesday who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent last week as a legal Riverside County resident they say gave the agent a false name before running, then attempting to grab the officer's gun.

Benito A. Gonzalez, 40, of Sun City, died shortly after 12:30 a.m. Thursday in an unincorporated area north of Escondido, an investigator for the county medical examiner's office said.

The agent initially stopped Gonzalez because the suspect drove up to a rural Park & Ride lot on Mountain Meadow Road where border officers had detained 11 suspected illegal immigrants and an alleged smuggler from a van shortly before, said Sheriff's Department homicide Sgt. Roy Frank.

However, authorities had not confirmed by Tuesday whether Gonzalez -- who had a legal permanent residence permit to work in the country -- was involved with the alleged smuggling operation, or if the timing was a coincidence.

"We're looking into that right now. There's information leading us to believe that it's possible" Gonzalez was involved with the suspected illegal immigrants, Frank said, declining to comment further because the investigation is ongoing.

Gonzalez reportedly pulled up immediately next to the van, where the lone agent was waiting for a tow truck.

"(At) the time this incident occurred, this was an area where nobody was hanging out ... it was a concern (of the agent) that (Gonzalez) may have been associated with the van," Frank said.

Officials said the agent -- who wore civilian clothes under a black vest that clearly identified him as a federal officer -- then contacted and detained Gonzalez.

"(Gonzalez) gave (the agent) a fictitious name. That's the reason why the agent was going to hold onto that guy, because he could not confirm that information," Frank said.

Frank said Gonzalez then began struggling with the officer, who called for backup, and ran away into a dark dirt lot, where he knocked the agent to the ground.

The agent got up and Gonzalez reached for the gun, but the agent pulled back and shot the suspect, the sergeant said. No weapon was found at the scene other than the agent's gun, he said.

The agent was uninjured and did not need to be taken to a hospital for any treatment, firefighters said.

At the time the shooting occurred, the agent was alone with Gonzalez, Frank said. The van's occupants had already been taken by border officials to a detention facility and no other witnesses were in the area, he said.

No criminal history for Gonzalez was located by the North County Times on Tuesday and none was reported by authorities.

He is survived by his wife, Alicia Alvarez, an investigator for the county medical examiner's office said. Alvarez could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The Sheriff's Department is investigating and the agency's report will be sent to the FBI, authorities said. The FBI, the U.S. attorney's office, and investigating agencies would then usually review the report to determine whether any federal laws were violated, an FBI spokesman said last week.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/06 ... 6_5_07.txt